(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates a transition metal compound, a catalyst for polymerization of an olefin comprising the transition metal compound, and a process for polymerizing an olefin using the catalyst.
(2) Description of the Related Art
As a catalyst for polymerization of an olefin, a metallocene catalyst comprising a combination of a complex having a cyclopentadienyl ring as a ligand with an aluminoxane attracts attention because the catalyst has a high catalytic activity, gives a polymer having a narrow molecular weight distribution and is capable of controlling the microstructure of the polymer. Such metallocene catalyst is proposed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S58-19309.
In recent years, it has been reported that a catalyst comprising a late transition metal complex gives a polyolefin having a structure with many branches, which structure is distinguishable from that of a polymer produced with the conventional metallocene catalyst. Such complex includes, for example, a diimine complex disclosed in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 117, 6414 (1995) and WO96/23010; a salicylaldimine complex disclosed in Science, 287, 460 (2000) and WO00/56781; and an anilinotropone complex disclosed in Organometallics, 20, 3217 (2001) and WO01/30865.